Gretchen Wilson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gretchen Wilson
Wilson in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Gretchen Frances Wilson
Born	(1973-06-26) June 26, 1973 (age 52) Pocahontas, Illinois, U.S.
Origin	Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Country country rock
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Epic Nashville, Columbia Nashville, Redneck

Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country music singer and songwriter. She was born on June 26, 1973, in Pocahontas, Illinois. Gretchen became famous in March 2004 with her song "Redneck Woman". This song won a Grammy Award and was a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts.

"Redneck Woman" was the first song from her first album, Here for the Party. A year later, she released her second album, All Jacked Up. The main song from this album, also called "All Jacked Up," set a record in 2005. It was the highest-starting song for a female country artist. Her third album, One of the Boys, came out in 2007.

Gretchen Wilson has had 13 songs on the Billboard country charts. Five of these songs reached the top ten. These include "Redneck Woman" (which was #1), "Here for the Party" (#3 in 2004), "When I Think About Cheatin'" (#4 in 2004), "Homewrecker" (#2 in 2005), and "All Jacked Up" (#8 in 2005). Her album Here for the Party sold five million copies. Her album All Jacked Up sold one million copies. She has sold over 8.2 million records around the world.

Gretchen Wilson's Early Life and Music Career

Growing Up and Starting Out

Gretchen Wilson was born in 1973 in Pocahontas, Illinois. Her mother was very young when Gretchen was born. When Gretchen was two years old, her father left the family. Her mother then raised her as a single parent. Gretchen left high school and worked as a cook.

Her First Big Album: Here for the Party

Wilson performing in a concert

Gretchen Wilson signed with Epic Records in 2003. She recorded her first album, Here for the Party, that same year. Her first song, "Redneck Woman", came out in early 2004. It quickly became the number one song on the Hot Country Songs charts. It also reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This song was the first country number one hit by a female artist in two years.

Because "Redneck Woman" was so popular, Here for the Party was released earlier than planned. It debuted at number one on the Billboard country chart. It also reached number two on the overall Billboard 200 chart. Gretchen performed as an opening act for famous groups like Brooks & Dunn and Montgomery Gentry.

The second song released from her album was the title track, "Here for the Party." It reached number three on the Billboard country chart. Two more songs from the album also made it into the top 10. Here for the Party sold five million copies in the U.S.

Her Second Album: All Jacked Up

On September 27, 2005, Gretchen Wilson released her second album, All Jacked Up. This album reached number one on both the Top 200 and Country album charts. It sold one million copies. The first song from the album, "All Jacked Up," started at number 21 on the Hot Country Songs charts. This was a record for the highest starting song by a female artist at that time.

Later, Carrie Underwood broke this record in 2007 with her song "So Small". Even though "All Jacked Up" started high, it reached its highest spot at number eight on Hot Country Songs. The sports channel ESPN also used this song as the opening theme for its baseball coverage for a while. Three more songs were released from All Jacked Up: "I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today," "Politically Uncorrect" (which was a duet with Merle Haggard), and "California Girls." None of these songs reached the top 20 on the country charts. The last two songs were released by Columbia Records because Epic Records' Nashville office closed.

Gretchen Wilson's song "I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today" was nominated for two Grammy Awards. These were for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song. In 2006, Gretchen sang a popular cover of Kris Kristofferson's "Sunday Mornin' Coming Down." This was for a special CD honoring Kris Kristofferson.

Her Third Album: One of the Boys

On May 15, 2007, Gretchen Wilson released her third album, One of the Boys. This album started at number five on the Top 200 chart and number one on the Country album chart. After 10 weeks, it had sold over 178,000 copies. The first two songs released from this album, "Come to Bed" (a duet with John Rich) and the title track, reached the top 30s on the country charts. The third song, "You Don't Have to Go Home," did not reach the top 40.

Her Own Record Label: I Got Your Country Right Here

On July 14, 2008, Gretchen Wilson released a new song called "Don't Do Me No Good." This song was meant to be the first song from her fourth album. However, it did not reach the top 40, and the album was delayed. In 2009, she released two more songs, "The Earrings Song" and "If I Could Do It All Again." Neither of these songs made it onto the charts.

Gretchen Wilson then announced on July 28, 2009, that she was leaving Sony Music Nashville. She then started her own record label called Redneck Records. "Work Hard, Play Harder" was the first song released from her new label on October 26, 2009. Her fourth album, I Got Your Country Right Here, finally came out on March 30, 2010. Her old label, Columbia Nashville, released her first Greatest Hits album on January 19, 2010. This completed her recording contract with them.

In July 2008, the band The Black Crowes sued Gretchen Wilson. They said her song "Work Hard, Play Harder" copied their song "Jealous Again". The lawsuit was settled, and members of The Black Crowes were given songwriting credits for the song.

More Albums: Right on Time, Under the Covers, and Christmas in My Heart

Gretchen Wilson released an album of new songs called Right on Time on April 2, 2013. The first song from this album was "Still Rollin'." She also released an album of rock cover songs called Under the Covers on June 4, 2013. Gretchen Wilson's first Christmas album, Christmas in My Heart, came out on October 8, 2013.

Other Things Gretchen Wilson Does

Rock Music Performances

Even though Gretchen Wilson is mainly a country singer, she is also known for singing classic rock songs. She especially likes songs by the band Heart. She says Heart is "one of the biggest influences on my musical career."

She has performed several times with Heart's lead singer Ann Wilson and guitarist Nancy Wilson. She has sung songs like "Straight On", "Crazy on You", and "Barracuda". She performed "Barracuda" with Alice in Chains and Nancy Wilson at the VH1 Rock Honors in 2007. She also sang "Who Are You" by The Who on a tribute album. In 2016, she sang on Buckcherry's song "The Feeling Never Dies."

She has also sung "Even It Up", "Rock and Roll" and "Barracuda" with Heart, Jerry Cantrell, Dave Navarro, Duff McKagan, Rufus Wainwright and Carrie Underwood at the Decades Rock Live! event.

Television Appearances

In 2025, Gretchen Wilson competed on The Masked Singer as "Pearl." She won the season! After winning, she sang "Redneck Woman" again.

Gretchen Wilson also joined the cast of a new music show called The Road. This show premiered on CBS in the fall of 2025. She works as a 'Tour Manager' with Keith Urban and Blake Shelton. They travel across America to find the "next big musician" who will open for Keith Urban on tour.

Gretchen Wilson's Activism and Support

Her Involvement in Politics

Gretchen Wilson sang the National Anthem at the 2008 Republican National Convention on September 3, 2008. She said this was a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience. She also performed at a rally for presidential candidate John McCain and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin in October 2008. Sarah Palin even said she couldn't wait to get Gretchen's autograph. Gretchen played a version of the Heart song "Barracuda" for Palin.

In September 2024, she appeared at a rally in Wisconsin for presidential candidate Donald Trump. She sang "Redneck Woman" and spoke to the crowd. She encouraged people to vote for freedom and for President Trump.

Helping Others: Charities and Public Service

Gretchen Wilson has done a lot to help children's charities, adult education, and the fight against obesity. Here are some of the things she has done:

• She has raised over $1.5 million through concerts for children's charities. These include St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
• She was a national spokesperson for Country Bands Together. This campaign helps educate people about obesity and offers support.
• She supports adult education. She even spoke to Congress about how important it is to help adults who want to learn. Gretchen left high school in 9th grade but earned her GED in 2008 through an adult education college.

Her Love for Sports

In 2004, Gretchen Wilson sang the national anthem before Game 4 of the 2004 World Series in St. Louis. She is a big fan of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team.

In April 2010, Gretchen released a special version of "Work Hard, Play Harder." She changed the lyrics to honor the National Hockey League's Nashville Predators team and their fans.

She also sponsors a women's softball team in Pierron, Illinois.

Awards and Recognitions for Gretchen Wilson

• 2005 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year
• 2004 ACM Top Female Vocalist
• 2004 ACM Top New Artist
• 2004 CMA Horizon Award

Grammy Awards History

Gretchen Wilson's Music Albums

Studio albums

• Here for the Party (2004)
• All Jacked Up (2005)
• One of the Boys (2007)
• I Got Your Country Right Here (2010)
• Right on Time (2013)
• Under the Covers (2013)
• Ready to Get Rowdy (2017)

See also

In Spanish: Gretchen Wilson para niños